Helaine Selin facts for kids

Helaine Selin, born in 1946, is an American expert who has worked as a librarian, a historian of science, an author, and a book editor. She is well-known for her work in understanding how science, technology, and medicine developed in different cultures around the world.

Her Journey and Work

Helaine Selin studied at Binghamton University for her first degree. She then earned her master's degree in library science from SUNY Albany. From 1967 to 1969, she was a Peace Corps volunteer. She taught English and African History in Karonga, Malawi, helping students learn and grow.

Later, she became a science librarian at Hampshire College. She helped students and faculty find important scientific information. She retired from this role in 2012.

Helaine Selin is most famous for editing a very important book called Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. This book, first published in 1997 and updated several times, was one of the first to let people compare how different cultures developed math and ideas about the universe. It shows that science isn't just from one place but has many roots worldwide.

She also edited Mathematics Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Mathematics (2000). This book explores how different cultures developed their own ways of doing math. Experts said it filled an important gap in understanding the history of mathematics. Another book she edited, Nature Across Cultures: Views of Nature and the Environment in Non-Western Cultures (2003), looked at how people in various cultures view nature and the environment. These books are valuable for learning about different ways of thinking.

Books She Edited

Helaine Selin has edited many important books that explore how different cultures approach various topics. Here are some of the key books she has worked on:

• Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures (1997, 2008, and 2016 editions)
• Astronomy Across Cultures: the history of non-Western astronomy (2000) (with Xiaochun Sun)
• Mathematics Across Cultures: the history of non-western mathematics (2000) (with Ubiratan D'Ambrosio)
• Medicine Across Cultures: history and practice of medicine in non-Western cultures (2003) (with Hugh Shapiro)
• Nature Across Cultures: views of nature and the environment in non-western cultures (2003) (with Arne Kalland)
• Encyclopaedia of classical Indian sciences (2007) (with Roddam Narasimha)
• Childbirth across cultures: ideas and practices of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum (2009) (with Pamela Kendall Stone)
• Happiness across cultures: views of happiness and quality of life in non-Western cultures (2012 and 2024 editions) (with Gareth Davey)
• Parenting Across Cultures: Childrearing, Motherhood and Fatherhood in Non-Western Cultures (2014 and 2022 editions)
• Death Across Cultures: Death and Dying in Non-Western Cultures (2019) (with Robert Rakoff)
• Aging Across Cultures: Growing Old in the Non-Western World (2021)
• Childhood in Turkey: Educational, Sociological and Psychological Perspectives (2022) (with Hilal H. Sen)